NEW YORK, March 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Jones Apparel Group, Inc. (NYSE: JNY) is scheduled to present at the Merrill Lynch Retailing Leaders/Household & Cosmetics Conference on March 23, 2004 at 8:40 am. The presentation will be webcast and made available through April 6 and is accessible through the Company's website at www.jny.com.

Jones Apparel Group, Inc. (www.jny.com), a Fortune 500 Company, is a leading designer and marketer of branded apparel, footwear and accessories. The Company's nationally recognized brands include Jones New York, Polo Jeans Company licensed from Polo Ralph Lauren Corporation, Evan-Picone, Norton McNaughton, Gloria Vanderbilt, Erika, l.e.i., Energie, Nine West, Easy Spirit, Enzo Angiolini, Bandolino, Napier, Judith Jack, Kasper, Anne Klein, Albert Nipon and LeSuit. The Company also markets costume jewelry under the Tommy Hilfiger brand licensed from Tommy Hilfiger Corporation and the Givenchy brand licensed from Givenchy Corporation, and footwear and accessories under the ESPRIT brand licensed from Esprit Europe, B.V. Celebrating more than 30 years of service, the Company has built a reputation for excellence in product quality and value, and in operational execution.

Certain statements herein are "forward-looking statements" made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements represent the Company's expectations or beliefs concerning future events that involve risks and uncertainties, including the strength of the economy and the overall level of consumer spending, the performance of the Company's products within the prevailing retail environment, and other factors which are set forth in the Company's 2002 Form 10-K and in all filings with the SEC made by the Company subsequent to the filing of the Form 10-K. The Company does not undertake to publicly update or revise its forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

SOURCE Jones Apparel Group, Inc.